Current Stimuli

Reading: Very little that's not somehow related to Celine Dion.

Watching: Three Times (Hou Hsiao-hsien, at Cinematheque last weekend - not his best, but still hypnotic); Toronto-made semi-reality show Kenny Vs. Spenny: Think The Five Obstructions crossed with WWF wrestling.

Monthly Archives

Search Zoilus

Notify List

Enter your email here to be notified of upcoming posts

The Zoilus RSS Feed

The Gelb-man Cometh (Plus: Juno II, more)

A little bird from Thrill Jockey tells me today that Howe Gelb (of Giant Sand fame, Calexico accomplice, etc.) will play a solo show at the Horseshoe on April 21. In my experience, a Gelb solo show is a supercalifragilistic Thelonious Monk-meets-Mississippi John Hurt-meets-Kerouac kinda spontaneous human combustible shambles, a confusion of entertainments not to overlook. Watch the gig guide for further detailing of the hood and tailfins.

In today's Globe my colleague Robert Everett-Green offers a fine consideration of the results of the Junos on Sunday, beginning with the reflection that "the 34-year-old awards show can still surprise," passing through the fur coat of Elisapie Isaac of Taima ("possibly the most glamorous woman in Canadian music") and the "suffering body" of Neil Young, and ending with the thought that, "This year's swerve toward the margin, commercially speaking, could become next year's singing telegram from those who have already won in the marketplace." The copy editors muddy the issue, though, by claiming in the headlines that what transpired represented "the indie scene's domination" and on the front-page throw, saying something like "the Junos go indie." Of course, the Junos had done nothing of the sort - none of the major winners was actually still on an independent label.... Well, with the exception of Feist, but you can bet that she wouldn't have done so well at the Junos if she were just with Arts & Crafts and weren't already on Universal in Europe and on the Cherry Tree imprint of Interscope in the U.S. Not to take away from her (or A&C;'s) accomplishments, just to say that the Junos have only changed so much - which is why any expectations of Juno bling for the Arcade Fire, who are not only indie but on an American indie, were always dubious. (See Zoiluses passim.)

Housekeeping: Our daily reminder that CanCon-tentious proceedings continue on The OTHER 50 Tracks, some Zoilus readers' misgivings notwithstanding. (Will this become the Canadian music blog equivalent of the Gomery inquiry? Pity our poor corrupted " 'Nuck" souls.)